If you ask anyone at my college who Diego Moreira — or rather, Diegola, as everyone calls him — is, the answer will always be the same: the most feared guy on campus. And it's not without reason.
Son of the director, owner of a massive ego, and leader of his own group of sycophants, he walks the hallways like a king, deciding who deserves his contempt and who's lucky enough to be ignored. And, for now, I belong to the second group.
My name is Felipe, but most people call me Felipinho — probably because I'm too skinny for anyone to bother remembering my full name. I spend my days trying not to stand out, just surviving my Literature classes without becoming the next target of Diego and his crew.
Speaking of them...
Alberto, the heartthrob of the college. Handsome, always well-dressed, and with a smile that's already broken half the girls' hearts — and, if the rumors are true, even a few professors'.
Pedro, better known as Caçapa. Chubby, always smelling like booze, and addicted to pool. Nobody understands how he hasn't been expelled yet.
Diógenes, Diego's official bootlicker. If someone laughs at Diego's joke, you can bet it was this guy.
Álvaro, the quiet and mysterious one. He studies Technology and almost never gets involved in anything, but his presence always made me uneasy.
And of course… Marina.
She's not only the prettiest girl in our class — maybe in the whole college — but also one of the smartest. Even so, she's always surrounded by her two best friends: Giovanna, a strong-willed Italian descendant, and Fátima, the fitness queen of our class.
And me?
Well… I was just a background character in this story.
Or at least, that's what I thought.
Until that day.
"The sound of a glass shattering echoed through the cafeteria."
I didn't even realize how it happened. I was standing in line to buy my lunch when I got shoved — hard. I stumbled forward, and before I could catch my balance, my juice flew straight onto Marina's white blouse.
Silence spread like wildfire.
Marina looked at me, surprised. The juice slowly dripped down her shirt, soaking through. And before I could even open my mouth to apologize, someone laughed.
A loud, mocking laugh.
Diegola.
— What a beautiful scene, huh? Felipinho and Marina, all cozy together... Do we have a new campus couple?
My stomach turned. Diego's laughter echoed through the cafeteria, and his friends joined in. As usual, Diógenes was the first to follow.
— The skinny guy doesn't waste any time, huh? — he mocked.
I wanted to disappear. But to my surprise, Marina didn't seem angry. On the contrary. She took a deep breath, grabbed a napkin, and started cleaning her blouse by herself.
— If you wanted to ask me out, Felipe, you could've just said so — she said, smiling.
The entire cafeteria held its breath.
I blinked a few times, trying to process what I had just heard. Marina… was defending me?
But Diego didn't look amused. His smile disappeared for a second. Just one second. But I saw it.
And it was in that moment that I made the biggest mistake of my life.
I smiled back at Marina.